Proposal turned down to bring water department under the control of Winsted Board of Selectmen

WINSTED >> Citing concerns over fees and the oversight of the water and sewer authorities, Second Selectman Candy Perez sought to split the authorities and bring the water department under the umbrella of the Board of Selectmen.

However, several members of the board believed that they did not have the expertise to oversee water matters, noting that they would be in the same boat as the Water and Sewer Commission. Subsequently, the board took no action on Perez's proposal.

"I don't think it's prudent at all," said Selectman Ken Fracasso. "Everyone who's sitting at this table for the last 10 years needs to take responsibility."

Advertisement

The Water and Sewer Commission's various funds owe nearly $1.8 million to various creditors, dating back to 2004, according to town attorney Kevin Nelligan. The announcement came as news to the commission, as its members noted during a Jan. 17 special meeting. The commission had not changed its rates over a long stretch of time before raising them in the last three years, but according to Nelligan, the commission "never covered (its) expenses in the eight to 10 years I've been looking at this."

"I have a hard time believing that," said commission member Steve Vaill at the meeting. "I just can't imagine that, each year, we're losing like that and nobody's catching it."

The Winsted Water Company and Water Pollution Control Authority joined forces after a 1998 referendum. The 1,422-1,021 vote merged the two entities into one authority which would set water rates and levy taxes for using the municipal water system, and took control of the boards out of the hands of the Selectmen.

"There needs to be more working together with the Water and Sewer Commission and the Board of Selectmen," said Perez at the Feb. 4 Board of Selectmen meeting.

However, several fellow Selectmen disagreed with the idea that the Water and Sewer Commission needed to be split. Fracasso said that he did not give the Water and Sewer Commission or their rates enough attention during his tenure as mayor, remarking that "I thought of it as a separate entity, and shame on me."

However, Fracasso believed that splitting the commission and reclaiming control of the water company was a step too far. The Water Pollution Control Authority is statutorially independent, but the Winsted Water Company is not. Nevertheless, Fracasso said that the commission's current status would do, as long as it received the proper support.

"Instead of maintaining the commission that we have and maybe giving them the tools and information that they need," Fracasso said, "I think it's a slap in the face to those poeple."

Selectman Mike Renzullo concurred with Fracasso, remarking that "there's nobody here that's an expert" in water rates. Renzullo said that "we have relied on the financial information that we got from the finance manager, and that's the case with the water and sewer board," and while that information may have been faulty, "in their defense, they were working with what they got from (former finance director) Henry (Centrella)."

"The difference between what they do and what we do," said Renzullo, "a tax is a tax, but what they do is they're selling water."

Nelligan advised the Water and Sewer Commission to communicate more with the Board of Selectmen to help resolve the issue, which is just one part of a complicated financial picture. Centrella was put on leave due to "accounting irregularities," eventually being fired by the town on Jan. 17, and while details of the issues have trickled out, the board opted to not radically reshape the Water and Sewer Commission.

"Keeping the framework the same as it is, we can certainly communicate our concerns with that group," said Selectman Glenn Albanesius. "Going forward, they would listen to us."